THERE is no such thing as spiritual Switzerland. That is the uncomfortable truth Christ drives home in Luke 11:15-26. Faced with the undeniable miracle of a possessed man being set free, some people refused to rejoice. Instead, they twisted the evidence, claiming that Jesus was...
CHRIST has an interesting habit of encouraging what polite society usually discourages. In the Gospel (Luke 11:5-13), he practically tells us to keep knocking, keep asking, keep pestering heaven. Not because God is hard of hearing. Not because he enjoys making us wait. But because persistent...
THE disciples had watched Jesus preach to crowds, calm storms, heal the sick, and even raise the dead. Yet they never asked, "Lord, teach us to work miracles." Instead, they asked, "Lord, teach us to pray." (Lk. 11:1-4) That says a lot. They had figured out...
WE live in an age that celebrates multitasking. The busier a person is, the more important he appears. Calendars are packed, phones never stop buzzing, and the to-do list grows faster than it shrinks. We have become experts at doing many things at once, yet...
THE lawyer in Luke 10:25–37 thought he had Jesus cornered. "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" It sounded like an honest question, but there was a catch. He wanted the minimum requirement. He was searching for the finish line without running the race. Jesus...
(Excerpt from the Homily of Most Rev. Romulo G. Valles, D.D., Archbishop of Davao during the Catechists and Evangelizers Conference last September 26, 2026 at Holy Cross of Davao College Gymnasium.) Mga igsoon ko diha ni Kristo, mukabat ka mga bulan mga 3000 ka mga catechist...
Saint Thérèse of Lisieux did not dream of becoming great in the way the world often understands greatness. She did not seek fame, power, or extraordinary achievements. Instead, she called herself a little flower, content to grow where God had planted her. There is something deeply...
TO see the human body as God sees it requires more than avoiding pornography. It requires relearning vision. The world teaches young people to consume bodies; Christ teaches them to recognize persons and sacred dignity. Christian understanding begins before sin. The body is good because God...
THE parable of the wicked tenants (Mt. 21:33-43) is one of Christ's most uncomfortable stories because it exposes a temptation that never grows old: the desire to enjoy God's gifts while getting rid of God himself. The tenants did not plant the vineyard. They did not...
EVERY year on October 2, countless faithful around the world quietly commemorate the foundation of Opus Dei, a spiritual institution that has had a profound influence on the life of the Church and on the understanding of Christian vocation in ordinary life. As it approaches its...